Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
The Municipality of Jasper has seen 鈥渁 bit of improvement鈥� in downtown alleys since businesses have been required to flatten their cardboard.
In September, council passed a motion that not flattening cardboard and not keeping cardboard storage areas in reasonable shape could lead to fines to property owners under the Nuisance Bylaw. A grace period - until Oct. 1 - was given to property and business owners to adjust their practices.
"We've seen a bit of improvement," said John Greathead, director of operations, at council鈥檚 Oct. 13 committee of the whole meeting.
He added what took staff eight hours to do now takes about an hour and a half. He noted though, that a lot of businesses don't have bins of their own to store cardboard in and are using neighbouring bins.
He said after bylaw enforcement gave them notice, four properties that were deemed "unacceptable" cleared up their mess quickly.
"We're not there yet, but we're well on our way," Greathead said.
He also pointed out the municipality recouped from 12 to 20 per cent of costs with cardboard collection, but overall the service is being done at quite a loss.
At previous meetings, council talked about engaging the business community in a solution before making a decision.
A virtual town hall meeting was held on Sept. 24 to facilitate such input.
"I like the fact that we're working with businesses," said deputy mayor Rico Damota.
Mayor Richard Ireland emphasized, "the status quo is off the table. On the table is figuring out a solution."
Coun. Bert Journault agreed and said guidelines need to be provided about what is being proposed.
It was decided that Damota and councillor Jenna McGrath will sit on the environmental responsibility committee, in connection with issues and solutions about cardboard collection.
Reopening the arena
Council discussed a request to approve a net deficit of $34,000 at their Oct. 13 meeting to reopen the arena, starting Dec. 1.
Yvonne McNabb, director of culture and recreation, and Natasha Malenchak, director of finance and administration, provided a breakdown of what the money would be used for.
They reiterated how uncertainty caused by the COVID pandemic makes it difficult to determine exact costs in the future.
"We want to be prepared for a worst-case scenario and have enough going forward," Malenchak said.
Continuing the compost conversation
Seasonal suspension of compost collection has been recommended by Greathead, who told council at previous meetings there have been numerous injuries to staff because they have to move heavy rolling cars from the bin to the truck for emptying over frozen and uneven surfaces.
McGrath reiterated her stance that the service should not be suspended, as did Damota and Ireland, and suggested looking into the fiscal implications of using another method.
Greathead said one of the major sentiments of the public in town is, 'Banff can do it, why can't Jasper?' but pointed out that Banff uses a hydraulic system to lift bins.
Additionally, he said, there are five solid waste/compost staff members with the Jasper municipality compared with 34 in Banff, acknowledging Banff's population is about 10,000 and about 5,000 in Jasper.
He said he has looked into costs of the hydraulic bins and is waiting for answers.
With a number of factors to consider, Greathead said, "We are listening. We are looking for solutions."
Paid parking ponderings
Council was asked by administration to indicate if they'd like to implement in-town parking in the 2021 budget year or a future year.
At their Aug. 25 committee of the whole meeting, council heard presentations from three external paid parking companies.
Mark Fercho, chief administrative officer for the municipality, summed up the subject, saying it costs money to pave, paint lines, etc., which are paid for with property taxes and business taxes.
He said: "Do you want visitors to help share those costs or pay for it out of your property taxes?"
Ireland said, "Public parking in Jasper is not free. Our community pays for it.鈥�
He suggested presenting something in the 2021 budget to "at least get the conversation going".
